[coolbreezetft24]

As a longtime hard-core NHL fan, toxicity of the "core" fanbase is pretty irritating. E.g. the recent controversy over noise about the league mandating protective neck gear. Fans and players didn't like the aesthetics of it (re they were worried about looking less cool/tough)

Any attempt at broadening the appeal of the game is met with revulsion by the angry traditionalists.

[duxup]

Yeah and I think some tech or topics or businesses get stuck in that hole more than others and it's brutal to get out.

I remember the really old NHL, late 1970s / 1980s. Everyone drinking it up in parking lots before the game, in game fights and hits could be nasty. Different atmosphere. The idea that you might discard your entire existing audience for a hopefully larger one must seem like a mountain to climb. Still, it seemed to work for the NHL. It's a completely different vibe now.